


Slumber

by dwarrowdams



Series: Tolkientober [16]
Category: The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Erebor, Gen, Tolkientober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: The Ravens of the Lonely Mountain look at Smaug as he sleeps.  Written for Day 23 of Tolkientober (inspired by one of Tolkien's drawings).
Series: Tolkientober [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949476
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Slumber

**Author's Note:**

> So the actual prompt was to redraw one of Tolkien's drawings, but since I'm doing this as a writing challenge, I'm doing a written description of one of his drawings (specifically the one of Smaug sleeping atop his horde).

Only the Ravens knew what it looked like when Smaug lay sleeping atop his hoard.

They did not often venture into those areas of the mountain for fear of what might happen to them, but when they did, they lingered for a little while. After all, they were already at risk, so what harm was it to take in the sights before them?

And what a sight it was. Smaug the Terrible rested atop a massive mountain of gold and jewels: a collection that the dwarves had accumulated after generations. Every so often, the ravens could make out a Khuzdul rune on a cup or the markings on a coin, but they daren’t get too close lest the fluttering of their feathers wake the Dragon. Smaug had slept deeply for years now, but they knew better than to test their luck.

Even from afar, there was plenty to study. In addition to the plunder from the dwarves, there were gems and trinkets from other lands, some with symbols unfamiliar to the ravens. There were many things too fair to be lying beneath the dragon’s belly as he slept: things that should be displayed in grand halls or given to rulers of other lands as gifts of friendship. Not even Smaug could appreciate them, for he woke rarely and when he did, he seemed only to notice the quantity of his hoard without paying mind to the quality of the pieces within it.

The dragon himself was magnificent as well, albeit in a different way than the horde that served as his bed. His ruby scales glimmered as though they were gems themselves, adding a fierce flash of color to Smaug’s bed of gold. One could see the creature’s scales heave as he slept, and sometimes one could catch his legs or tail twitching when he dreamt deeply.

Smaug was truly a sight to behold: a terrible sight, but a beautiful one as well. For years, the Ravens had been the only ones who had seen him sleep and lived to tell the tale.

But perhaps that was not to be the case any longer, for as the birds watched from their distant perches, a small figure crept into the mountain, drawing closer to the dragon and his horde. Had it been any other creature, the Ravens might’ve warned them off, but this one was unfamiliar: smaller than a dwarf, but much quieter than them as well.

Regardless of what this creature was or from where it had come, it was clear that Smaug’s long slumber was nearing its end.

**Author's Note:**

> Three weeks down, one more to go! I'm excited for what's to come, but I am eager to get back to my other Tolkien-based works (and to read others' Tolkientober fic—I don't often read fanfic, but now I'm really curious to see what others did).
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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